# Ear Trainer vs Solo

The clearest difference is price: Ear Trainer at $7.99 against Solo's $17.99. Ear Trainer also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (95% vs 83%). Solo's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and chart position (#83 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Ear Trainer costs $7.99 and Solo $17.99 up front. Solo sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Ear Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Ear Trainer against 4.7 for Solo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 655 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Ear Trainer's written reviews are positive against 83% of Solo's.

Ear Trainer ships an update every 4 months, Solo monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ear Trainer | Solo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$7.99** | $17.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ear-trainer/id358733250/reviews)** | [4.7 (655 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solo-fretboard-visualization/id1537057699/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.2K** | 655 |
| Positive reviews | **94.8% of reviews** | 83.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#83** |
| Size | 90 MB | 231 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [thoor software AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/698240746) | [Trio Software Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1537057701) |

## What reviewers say

### Ear Trainer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ear-trainer/id358733250)

This app is designed to enhance your musical listening skills. It offers a comprehensive set of over 260 exercises across nine study areas, plus custom exercise creation. Suitable for all levels, it helps musicians and students improve their ear training.

**Highlights:** Over 260 built-in exercises, Nine areas of musical study, Custom exercise creation, Interval, chord, and scale identification, Melody and chord progression training, Progress tracking and statistics, Virtual piano and note view

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and effective
- 🚀 Accessible and easy to use
- 🚀 Customizable exercises
- 🚀 Comprehensive training
- 🚀 Steady progress and improvement

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Incorrect note/interval spellings
- 🐛 Lack of melody dictation exercises
- 🐛 Limited chord progression exercises
- 🐛 Cumbersome note deletion in melody exercises

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect chord quality identification
- Inconsistent note layout in some exercises

**Requested features**

- Add more chord types (diminished, half-diminished, etc.)
- Include more modes and scale types
- Implement MIDI connectivity for external instruments
- Add a random exercise mode
- Provide more detailed progress tracking and statistics


### Solo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solo-fretboard-visualization/id1537057699)

**Currently charting:** #83 Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

Master your guitar fretboard with this interactive trainer. Learn note names, intervals, chord changes, and scales through guided exercises. Designed by professional guitarists, it offers customizable workouts for all skill levels.

**Highlights:** Fretboard visualization, Note name trainer, Interval shape memorization, Chord change outlining, Scale practice, Interactive fretboards, Customizable workouts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Custom Tunings | $1.99 | one-time |
| Custom Chord Progressions | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent practice tool
- 👍 Helps improve fretboard knowledge
- 👍 Versatile and configurable
- 👍 Detailed video tutorials
- 👍 Accurate note detection

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Note detection issues
- 🐛 App crashes
- 🐛 Lack of customization options
- 🐛 Unintuitive for beginners
- 🐛 Limited functionality for the price

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when launching the app
- Inconsistent note detection
- Inability to save progress or settings

**Requested features**

- Add ability to create custom chord progressions
- Integrate metronome functionality
- Provide visual representation of intervals on staff
- Add option to practice natural notes only
- Implement option to hear chord tones in the background


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ear Trainer free?

Ear Trainer costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Solo free?

Solo costs $17.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ear Trainer or Solo?

Ear Trainer is rated higher. Ear Trainer averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Solo averages 4.7 from 655 ratings.

### Do Ear Trainer or Solo have ads?

Neither Ear Trainer nor Solo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ear Trainer or Solo?

Ear Trainer ships an update every 4 months, and Solo monthly. Most recently, Ear Trainer was updated on October 26, 2026 and Solo on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*